The production incorporates a 1980s-inspired electropop, pop rock, and synth-pop sound characterized by atmospheric synthesizers, mid-tempo rhythms, and acoustic instruments, with eclectic elements of country, folk, and funk.

The global best-selling album by a solo artist of 2019, it topped the charts and received platinum certifications in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

Swift recalibrated her artistry and image from country music to pop with her 2014 fifth studio album, 1989, which incorporated a 1980s synth-pop sound with dense synthesizers, programmed drum machines, electronic vocal processing, and dance-oriented arrangements.

[1] 1989 sold over five million copies in the United States within one year and propelled Swift toward global pop stardom,[2][3] but her fame was blemished by tabloid gossip that publicized her short-lived romantic relationships with Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston.

[11][12] She reflected on the album as a "defense mechanism" that helped her protect her mental health amidst the controversies[9] and her forgone "America's Sweetheart" reputation as liberating, as she no longer had to be self-aware of being "always smiling, always happy".

"[16] As with her past albums, Lover was a reflection on Swift's personal life;[17] she focused on creating music, deprioritized social media, and took her occupation as an entertainer less seriously.

[21] The penultimate track "It's Nice to Have a Friend" tells a love story that begins in childhood and proceeds to adulthood;[34] Swift considered the song a representation of the feelings one wishes to experience whether they are a child or an adult.

[15] She wanted to incorporate eclectic styles to accompany the diverse lyrical themes, which was made possible by her new contract with Republic Records granting her more artistic freedom than before.

[46] Antonoff's production is characterized by 1980s drums, atmospheric synthesizers, and reverbed beats,[37][53] exploring eclectic styles across genres including synth-pop, punk, folk rock, and quiet storm.

[58] The upbeat, electropop and R&B track "I Think He Knows" features influences of funk[37][39][59] with Swift's falsetto vocals over guitars, a deep bass, and a marching beat.

[32][60] Despite its lyrics about a painful heartbreak, "Death by a Thousand Cuts" has an upbeat production with a recurring guitar line, quivering synthesizers, and faint church bells with vocal harmonies in the background.

[40][50][60] The ballads "The Archer", "Cornelia Street", and "Daylight" are characterized by dense, atmospheric synthesizers;[32][42][61] the first of which combines dream pop and synth-pop with steady kick drum beats throughout.

[39][55] "False God" combines elements of jazz,[50] trap,[27] neo-soul,[32] and 1980s R&B;[33] Swift sings over hiccupping vocal samples and a lone saxophone line.

[35] Recording wrapped on February 24, 2019;[15] a sample of Cautious Clay's song "Cold War" used for "London Boy" was approved in June that year.

[75][76] In an article for Entertainment Weekly, Emma Madden said Lover's cover art looks like "a fan-made aesthetic post on Tumblr", and called it part of the emerging trend of "kitschy album artwork".

[79] Her social media posts showed her outgoing, comfortable persona, departing from the dark, antagonistic image she adopted for Reputation.

[3][76] Swift conducted interviews with publications including Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, Vogue, and Rolling Stone, where she openly spoke about her adjusted personal life.

[97] She also promoted the album on Nippon TV's Sukkiri Morning Show in Tokyo[98] and at the Singles' Day Countdown Gala by Alibaba Group in Shanghai.

[108] After Swift embarked on the Eras Tour in spring 2023, "Cruel Summer" resurged in popularity and was released to radio on June 20, 2023, as the fifth single from Lover;[109] it topped the Billboard Hot 100.

[110] Lover received extensive media coverage; the BBC's Nick Levine wrote; "if it doesn't become her sixth in succession to top the Billboard 200, it would be a major music industry shock".

[114] In the September 2019 issue of Entertainment Weekly, Maura Johnston commented although Swift's blurring of the line between the personal and the promotional, and although her social media posts might prompt tabloid gossip, Lover should stand the test of time with its best songs.

[121][119] Many critics, including Jon Caramanica in The New York Times,[42] Neil McCormick in The Daily Telegraph,[50] and Robert Christgau in his Consumer Guide column,[122] welcomed Lover as Swift's return-to-form, praised her emotional songwriting ability, and said compared to Reputation's antagonistic themes about celebrity, Lover is a sign of Swift's embracing of forward-looking perspectives.

[123] Paste's Claire Martin was critical, deeming the music unimpressive and the lyrics, despite their heartwarming nature, "lacking any profound meaning".

[21][37] In The Guardian, Alexis Petridis viewed Lover as a testament to Swift's songwriting abilities but commented the genre-spanning styles feel like "consolidation, not progress", and a conservative effort to maintain her commercial success.

[146] With Lover, Swift returned to the top of the Billboard Artist 100 chart for a thirty-seventh week, extending her all-time record as the longest-running number-one act.

[148] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified Lover platinum, denoting one million album-equivalent units, after four weeks of release.

The documentary, which is titled after the album's seventh track, chronicles the creation and promotion of Lover, and discusses it as an evolutionary phase in Swift's career.

[201] Several publications that ranked Lover as a weaker album in Swift's discography and deemed it an unnecessary course correction from Reputation included Consequence,[202] Spin,[203] and Entertainment Weekly.

[206] In a USA Today article commemorating Lover's second anniversary, David Oliver and Hannah Yasharoff lamented the canceled tour and called the album Swift's "lost masterpiece" that represents her artistic maturity and autonomy.

[207] After its songs featured on the Amazon Prime Video series The Summer I Turned Pretty in June 2022, Lover re-entered the Billboard 200 chart's top 40.